From Case Western Reserve University Athletics
The Case Western Reserve University women's basketball team won its fourth-straight game on Saturday, defeating the College of Wooster 97-72 in Wooster, Ohio.
With the win, the Spartans improved to 6-2 overall on the year. The four-game winning streak matches the team's longest since the 2012-13 season, and CWRU is now just two wins shy of its total from all of last year. Wooster dropped to 1-5 overall with the loss.
The 97 points were a season-high for the Spartans, who finished the game shooting 52.8% (38-of-72) from the field, including 13-of-28 from three-point range for a 46.4% mark. Three Case Western Reserve players reached 20 points on the day, led by sophomore forward Hillary Hellmann with 25 points on a 66.7% (10-of-15) shooting mark, including five-for-seven (71.4%) from beyond the arc. Senior guard Jess McCoy added a season-high 22 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists, and junior forward Kara Hageman ended the game with 20 points, five rebounds and three blocks. Freshman guard Kendall McConico came off the bench to score 13 on Saturday, rounding out the Spartans' double-figure scorers in the game.
Hellmann got the Spartans off to a strong start in the game, scoring nine points in the first quarter on three-of-three shooting from long range, helping give CWRU a 10-point lead by the end of the first quarter. Case Western Reserve's hot shooting would continue into the second period, as the Spartans went into halftime with game-high 20-point advantage behind a 50.0% (19-for-38) shooting effort from the floor.
The Spartans converted 12 Wooster turnovers into 11 points in the first half. Hellmann led CWRU with 13 points in the first 20 minutes, while Hageman added 12 points, including seven in the second quarter alone, and three blocks. The Spartans' bench outscored the Fighting Scots 16-5 in the first half, including eight points from McConico alone.
Case Western Reserve started quick in the second half, taking a 22-point lead on a Hellmann three-pointer with 7:15 remaining that extended the team's advantage to 59-37. However, Wooster climbed back in the game, going on a 20-6 run over a four minute stretch midway through the third that closed the gap to eight, 65-57, with 3:11 remaining in the period.
However, the Spartans secured the win with a run of their own, outscoring the Fighting Scots 23-2 over a stretch of four minutes and 42 seconds that lasted from the end of the third period into the fourth. CWRU started the final frame on fire, with sophomore guard Alexis Amburgey, McCoy, Hellmann and Hageman each knocking down three pointers. McConico converted an and-one and a jumper on back-to-back possessions, and a layup by Hellmann extended the lead to a game-high 29, 93-64, with 5:58 to play. The Spartans outscored the Fighting Scots 23-10 in the quarter on their way to the win.
The Spartans fell just eight points shy of the program record for points in a game, registered during a 2002 contest against Wilmington. The 97 points were the most scored in a game by the Spartans since a 97-point effort against John Carroll on November 28, 2012.
Freshman guard Alicia Marie Gonzales doled out a season-best seven assists on Saturday, and added a season-high five steals. The Spartans' bench outscored Wooster's bench 25-15 in the game, and CWRU held advantages of 38-22 in points in the paint and 28-13 in points off turnovers.
Guard Aki Shurelds led all Wooster players with 23 points, including 15 points in the third quarter alone, connecting on five-of-five three-point attempts during the Fighting Scots' run. Anna Gibbs added 15 points, six assists and four steals for Wooster.